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Zac Delventhal
'''Zac Delventhal '''is a competitor in the Midwest Combat Chess League, currently signed to The Dragons as a Rook. Since joining the league in 2011, Delventhal has earned a reputation as a showman, frequently working up the crowd before and during his bouts. History 2011 Zac Delventhal joined the MCCL in 2011, transferring from the New England Combat Chess Association. He was picked up by The Celts to fill a vacancy in their line up for a Rook. He took well to the new team and league, winning some key fights in a number of Celt victories, as well as attracting new fans to the team with his larger than life antics. None the less, the Celts ended with a generally poor record and did not make the postseason. Delventhal personally finished the 2011 season 7-6 . 2012 In 2012, Zac Delventhal sought out a higher profile team, and found a position with The Legion as their new Knight. Working under King Nora Sachs and Queen Mike Lubke, Delventhal found a place as an outspoken utility fighter on a team with plenty of other big egos. His role in the regular season was laudable, winning some key matchups and finishing with a regular season record of 7-2. However with the pressure of the postseason, Delventhal lost his luster. In three postseason fights, he lost two, including an emotional defeat to Meredith Larson during the 2012 championship bout. Larson would go on to win the deciding fight of the game, defeating The Legion. 2013 Even with his strong regular season performance, Delventhal's championship loss and outsized ego saw him marginalized in early 2013. The Legion leadership viewed him as a liability, rarely utilizing him, and generally only in low stakes or sacrificial situations. Finally, halfway through the season (with some urging from Delventhal himself) he was traded to The Dragons as a pawn, with a record of only 1-2. The change of teams seemed to help, and despite the lower priority position Delventhal managed three wins on four fights, ending the regular season 5-3. However, when The Dragons made it to the championship, Delventhal's old postseason troubles returned. His one chance came during the championship against The Corsairs. After being promoted to queen and threatening check, he lost a fight he was largely expected to win against Jon Bigelow. After a close call by guest martial (and Delventhal's old queen) Mike Lubke an argument resulted between Lubke and Delventhal that nearly became physical and he was ejected from the game. Officially Delventhal forfeited the match for "Fauilure to Follow Instructions." This blowup and subsequent bitter feuding that followed have earned him a nickname of questionable taste: "Fukushima." 2014 Despite his ejection and erratic 2013, The Dragons not only retained Zac Delventhal, but promoted him to his old position as Rook. Delventhal stuck to an aggressive training regimine in the off season, and that focus helped earn him the confidence of the new Dragon King (and fellow nuclear disaster), Dave "Chernobyl" Schneider. With the new training and support, a somewhat more reserved Delventhal ended the regular season with a personal best 9-3. Delventhal even managed to crush his postseason curse this year. Previously 1-3 in postseason fights (with no wins in a championship), he grabbed a win in the semifinals against The Roses, and then in the first match of a dramatic championship bout against The Phoenix, defeated Jena Young with her preferred Smallsword. Delventhal looked close to another ejection when his disagreements with King Dave Schnieder's chess strategy brought them close to blows, but a dramatic win by Schneider under the obscure and controversial King's Prerogative rule turned the game around and calmed Delventhal. He subsequently managed a rare double-elimination draw in an unarmed fight against Andrew Gullikson, technically finishing the 2014 postseason without a loss. The Dragon's eventual defeat of The Phoenix also marked the first time Delventhal was crowned a champion. Fighting Style Though Delventhal's on the board antics have garnered more attention than his actual fighting, he is generally known as a savvy and capable combatant. He usually favors larger edged weapons, attempting outrange, outmuscle, and outlast his opponents, and is at his best when he can keep a match on these terms. Most of his losses have come from faster and more technically skilled opponents putting him on the backfoot, or simply from his own foolhardiness. Recently a perhaps more mature Delventhal has seemed able to keep pace with some talented fighters who would otherwise outmaneuver him. Category:Fighters